The characteristics and predictors of mortality in periprosthetic fractures around the knee.

Aims: Periprosthetic fractures (PPFs) around the knee are challenging injuries. This study aims to describe the characteristics of knee PPFs and the impact of patient demographics, fracture types, and management modalities on in-hospital mortality. Methods: Using a multicentre study design, independent of registry data, we included adult patients sustaining a PPF around a knee arthroplasty between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019. Univariate, then multivariable, logistic regression analyses were performed to study the impact of patient, fracture, and treatment on mortality. Results: Out of a total of 1,667 patients in the PPF study database, 420 patients were included. The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.4%. Multivariable analyses suggested that American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, history of peripheral vascular disease (PVD), history of rheumatic disease, fracture around a loose implant, and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) during hospital stay were each independently associated with mortality. Each point increase in ASA grade independently correlated with a four-fold greater mortality risk (odds ratio (OR) 4.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19 to 14.06); p = 0.026). Patients with PVD have a nine-fold increase in mortality risk (OR 9.1 (95% CI 1.25 to 66.47); p = 0.030) and patients with rheumatic disease have a 6.8-fold increase in mortality risk (OR 6.8 (95% CI 1.32 to 34.68); p = 0.022). Patients with a fracture around a loose implant (Unified Classification System (UCS) B2) have a 20-fold increase in mortality, compared to UCS A1 (OR 20.9 (95% CI 1.61 to 271.38); p = 0.020). Mode of management was not a significant predictor of mortality. Patients managed with revision arthroplasty had a significantly longer length of stay (median 16 days; p = 0.029) and higher rates of return to theatre, compared to patients treated nonoperatively or with fixation. Conclusion: The mortality rate in PPFs around the knee is similar to that for native distal femur and neck of femur fragility fractures. Patients with certain modifiable risk factors should be optimized. A national PPF database and standardized management guidelines are currently required to understand these complex injuries and to improve patient outcomes.

Predictors of mortality in periprosthetic fractures of the hip: Results from the national PPF study.

INTRODUCTION: Periprosthetic fractures (PPFs) around the hip joint are increasing in prevalence. In this collaborative study, we aimed to investigate the impact of patient demographics, fracture characteristics, and modes of management on in-hospital mortality of PPFs involving the hip. METHODS: Using a multi-centre cohort study design, we retrospectively identified adults presenting with a PPF around the hip over a 10-year period. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to study the independent correlation between patient, fracture, and treatment factors on mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1,109 patients were included. The in-hospital mortality rate was 5.3%. Multivariable analyses suggested that age, male sex, abbreviated mental test score (AMTS), pneumonia, renal failure, history of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and deep surgical site infection were each independently associated with mortality. Each yearly increase in age independently correlates with a 7% increase in mortality (OR 1.07, p=0.019). The odds of mortality was 2.99 times higher for patients diagnosed with pneumonia during their hospital stay [OR 2.99 (95% CI 1.07-8.37) p=0.037], and 7.25 times higher for patients that developed renal failure during their stay [OR 7.25 (95% CI 1.85-28.47) p=0.005]. Patients with history of PVD have a six-fold greater mortality risk (OR 6.06, p=0.003). Mode of treatment was not a significant predictor of mortality. CONCLUSION: The in-hospital mortality rate of PPFs around the hip exceeds 5%. The fracture subtype and mode of management are not independent predictors of mortality, while patient factors such as age, AMTS, history of PVD, pneumonia, and renal failure can independently predict mortality. Peri-operative optimisation of modifiable risk factors such as lung and kidney function in patients with PPFs around the hip during their hospital stay is of utmost importance.

A Predictive Model of Adaptive Resistance to BRAF/MEK Inhibitors in Melanoma.

The adaptive acquisition of resistance to BRAF and MEK inhibitor-based therapy is a common feature of melanoma cells and contributes to poor patient treatment outcomes. Leveraging insights from a proteomic study and publicly available transcriptomic data, we evaluated the predictive capacity of a gene panel corresponding to proteins differentially abundant between treatment-sensitive and treatment-resistant cell lines, deciphering predictors of treatment resistance and potential resistance mechanisms to BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy in patient biopsy samples. From our analysis, a 13-gene signature panel, in both test and validation datasets, could identify treatment-resistant or progressed melanoma cases with an accuracy and sensitivity of over 70%. The dysregulation of HMOX1, ICAM, MMP2, and SPARC defined a BRAF/MEK treatment-resistant landscape, with resistant cases showing a >2-fold risk of expression of these genes. Furthermore, we utilized a combination of functional enrichment- and gene expression-derived scores to model and identify pathways, such as HMOX1-mediated mitochondrial stress response, as potential key drivers of the emergence of a BRAF/MEK inhibitor-resistant state in melanoma cells. Overall, our results highlight the utility of these genes in predicting treatment outcomes and the underlying mechanisms that can be targeted to reduce the development of resistance to BRAF/MEK targeted therapy.

Working and working out: Decision-making inputs connect daily work demands to physical exercise.

Work demands can undermine engagement in physical exercise, posing a threat to employee health and well-being. Integrating resource theories and a novel decision-making theory called the decision triangle, we propose that this effect may emerge because work stress changes the energetic and emotional processes people engage in when making decisions about exercise after work. Using diary-style data across two workweeks (N = 83 workers, 783 days), we used multilevel latent profile analysis to extract common decision input profiles, or daily configurations of energy and affect as key decision-making resources. Consistent with the decision triangle, three profiles emerged: visceral inputs (low energy/high negative affect), automatic inputs (low energy/low negative affect), and logical inputs (high energy/low negative affect). Daily job demands were highest among the visceral profile. In turn, the daily visceral profile related to the lowest likelihood of and intensity of physical exercise after work, especially relative to the daily logical profile. Whether or not those in the daily automatic profile exercised depended on their health orientation, or trait-level value of maintaining personal health. Our results support decision-making as a promising mechanism explaining the link between work demands and healthy leisure choices. Organizational interventions can target work stress, health orientation, or logical decision-making to promote frequent and vigorous employee physical exercise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Review of orthopaedic trauma surgery during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic - An observational cohort study in the UK.

AIM: This study aims to estimate the risk of acquiring medical complication or death from COVID-19 infection in patients who were admitted for orthopaedic trauma surgery during the peak and plateau of pandemic. Unlike other recently published studies, where patient-cohort included a more morbid group and cancer surgeries, we report on a group of patients who had limb surgery and were more akin to elective orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: The study included 214 patients who underwent orthopaedic trauma surgeries in the hospital between 12th March and 12th May-2020 when the pandemic was on the rise in the United Kingdom. Data was collected on demographic profile including comorbidities, ASA grade, COVID-19 testing, type of procedures and any readmissions, complications or mortality due to COVID-19. RESULTS: There were 7.9% readmissions and 52.9% of it was for respiratory complications. Only one patient had positive COVID-19 test during readmission. 30-day mortality for trauma surgeries was 0% if hip fractures were excluded and 2.8% in all patients. All the mortalities were for proximal femur fracture surgeries and between ASA Grade 3 and 4 or in patients above the age of 70 years. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that presence of COVID-19 virus in the community and hospital did not adversely affect the outcome of orthopaedic trauma surgeries or lead to excess mortality or readmissions in patients undergoing limb trauma surgery. The findings also support resumption of elective orthopaedic surgeries with appropriate risk stratification, patient optimization and with adequate infrastructural support amidst the recovery phase of the pandemic.

Parents' Awareness and Perceptions of Sport Specialization and Injury Prevention Recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a survey of parents to determine their knowledge of sport volume recommendations and examine their perceptions toward sport specialization. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Youth sport athletic tournaments, competitions, and practices. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Parents (n = 1000, 614 women, age: 44.5 ± 6.7 years) of youth athletes completed the survey. Parents had to have a child between 10 and 18 years of age who participated in organized sport in the previous 12 months. INTERVENTIONS: The survey was anonymous and consisted of yes/no and Likert-scale questions and consisted of background of parent and child and perceptions and knowledge of safe sport recommendations. An expert panel validated the survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were summarized by frequencies, proportions (%), and mean values and SDs, when appropriate. Chi-square analyses were used to determine if parent sex influenced distributions. RESULTS: Over 80% of parents had no knowledge of sport volume recommendations regarding h/wk (84.5%), mo/yr (82.2%), or simultaneous participation in multiple leagues (89.9%). Twenty-four percent of parents considered it appropriate to participate in multiple leagues in the same sport, whereas 60.5% considered it appropriate to participate in multiple leagues of a different sport. Thirty-four percent of parents indicated that they were concerned about the risk of injury in youth sports. Although 55% of parents considered sport specialization a problem in youth sports, only 43.3% thought that year-round sport participation increased the chances of sustaining an overuse injury. Female parents were more likely to be concerned about injury and believe that year-round sport participation results in overuse injury compared with men. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations associated with youth sport participation are not well known. However, parents are concerned about the risk of injury and consider sport specialization a problem.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Youth Sports Coaches Regarding Sport Volume Recommendations and Sport Specialization.

Post, EG, Trigsted, SM, Schaefer, DA, Cadmus-Bertram, LA, Watson, AM, McGuine, TA, Brooks, MA, and Bell, DR. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of youth sports coaches regarding sport volume recommendations and sport specialization. J Strength Cond Res 34(10): 2911-2919, 2020-Overuse injuries in youth athletes are becoming increasingly common, which may be a result of the prevalence of year-round specialized sport participation. Previous research has identified sport volume recommendations related to months per year, hours per week, and simultaneous participation in multiple sports leagues. Coaches are a primary influence on a youth athlete's decision to specialize in a single sport. Therefore, identifying coaches' baseline beliefs and perceptions is important for developing strategies to educate coaches about safe sport participation. A total of 253 youth sport coaches (207 males) completed an anonymous online questionnaire regarding knowledge of sport volume recommendations and attitudes and beliefs regarding sport specialization. Eligible participants were required to serve as a head or assistant coach of a youth sport team in the past 12 months whose members were between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Most coaches were unaware of recommendations regarding the maximum number of months per year (79.4%), hours per week in 1 sport (79.3%), or number of simultaneous leagues for an athlete to participate in to reduce injury (77.6%). Fewer than half (43.2%) of all coaches were "very" or "extremely" concerned about the risk of injury in youth sports. A majority (60.1%) believed that sport specialization was either "quite a bit" or "a great deal" of a problem. Two-thirds (67.2%) responded that year-round participation in a single sport was either "very" or "extremely" likely to increase an athlete's risk of injury. Although the responses to this survey were predominantly from coaches from 1 state, our results suggest that coaches are unaware of sport volume recommendations but are concerned about specialization. Future efforts are needed to communicate these recommendations to coaches to reduce the risk of overuse injury in youth sports.

Normative Values of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) in High School Athletes.

OBJECTIVE: Establish sex, age, and concussion history-specific normative baseline sport concussion assessment tool 3 (SCAT3) values in adolescent athletes. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING: Seven Wisconsin high schools. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred fifty-eight high school athletes participating in 19 sports. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Sex, age, and concussion history. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3): total number of symptoms; symptom severity; total Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC); and each SAC component (orientation, immediate memory, concentration, delayed recall); Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) total errors (BESS, floor and foam pad). RESULTS: Males reported a higher total number of symptoms [median (interquartile range): 0 (0-2) vs 0 (0-1), P = 0.001] and severity of symptoms [0 (0-3) vs 0 (0-2), P = 0.001] and a lower mean (SD) total SAC [26.0 (2.3) vs 26.4 (2.0), P = 0.026], and orientation [5 (4-5) vs 5 (5-5), P = 0.021]. There was no difference in baseline scores between sex for immediate memory, concentration, delayed recall or BESS total errors. No differences were found for any test domain based on age. Previously, concussed athletes reported a higher total number of symptoms [1 (0-4) vs 0 (0-2), P = 0.001] and symptom severity [2 (0-5) vs 0 (0-2), P = 0.001]. BESS total scores did not differ by concussion history. CONCLUSION: This study represents the first published normative baseline SCAT3 values in high school athletes. Results varied by sex and history of previous concussion but not by age. The normative baseline values generated from this study will help clinicians better evaluate and interpret SCAT3 results of concussed adolescent athletes.

Are common language effect sizes easier to understand than traditional effect sizes?

Communicating the results of research to nonscientists presents many challenges. Among these challenges is communicating the effectiveness of an intervention in a way that people untrained in statistics can understand. Use of traditional effect size metrics (e.g., r, r²) has been criticized as being confusing to general audiences. In response, researchers have developed nontraditional effect size indicators (e.g., binomial effect size display, common language effect size indicator) with the goal of presenting information in a more understandable manner. The studies described here present the first empirical test of these claims of understandability. Results show that nontraditional effect size indicators are perceived as more understandable and useful than traditional indicators for communicating the effectiveness of an intervention. People also rated training programs as more effective and were willing to pay more for programs whose effectiveness was described using the nontraditional effect size metrics.

A policy impact analysis of the mandatory NCAA sickle cell trait screening program.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of the mandatory National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sickle cell trait (SCT) screening policy on the identification of sickle cell carriers and prevention of sudden death. DATA SOURCE: We used NCAA reports, population-based SCT prevalence estimates, and published risks for exercise-related sudden death attributable to SCT. STUDY DESIGN: We estimated the number of sickle cell carriers identified and the number of potentially preventable sudden deaths with mandatory SCT screening of NCAA Division I athletes. We calculated the number of student-athletes with SCT using a conditional probability based upon SCT prevalence data and self-identified race/ethnicity status. We estimated sudden deaths over 10 years based on published attributable risk of exercise-related sudden death due to SCT. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We estimate that over 2,000 NCAA Division I student-athletes with SCT will be identified under this screening policy and that, without intervention, about seven NCAA Division I student-athletes would die suddenly as a complication of SCT over a 10-year period. CONCLUSION: Universal sickle cell screening of NCAA Division I student-athletes will identify a substantial number of sickle cell carriers. A successful intervention could prevent about seven deaths over a decade.

Familiarity, ambivalence, and firm reputation: is corporate fame a double-edged sword?

This research questioned the proposition that corporate familiarity is positively associated with firm reputation. Student images of familiar and unfamiliar Fortune 500 corporations were examined in 4 experiments. The results suggested that, consistent with behavioral decision theory and attitude theory, highly familiar corporations provide information that is more compatible with the tasks of both admiring and condemning than less familiar corporations. Furthermore, the judgment context may determine whether positive or negative judgments are reported about familiar companies. The notion that people can simultaneously hold contradictory images of well-known firms may help to explain the inconsistent findings on the relation between familiarity and reputation.